Collide
by absenceofstars
Summary: Tensions rise as both girls realize they might just be in love with one another. PainexRikku. Please R&R. Alternates POV between Rikku and Paine. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
1. The Dawn is Breaking

**Authors Note:** Yes, I wrote this story. And no, you may NOT post it on your site, or use it otherwise without my permission. Please send me a message or leave a review if you desire to post it somewhere/use it for something. I will most likely allow you to use it, so don't be afraid to ask. Please Read & Review, if you don't mind.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own FFX, FFX-2, Rikku, Paine, Yuna, Lulu, or any of the other characters/titles used in this story. They're all copyrighted to their original owners, whom include Square Soft, Square Enix, the writers, et cetera. I don't claim any ownership to these characters. I also don't own Collide, the lyrics, the melody, the song, or Howie Day. Unfortunately.

**Collide  
**by xDante

Chapter One: The Dawn is Breaking

-

It was quiet that morning.

That's what seems so strange about it. It was quiet, and cold. They were all sleeping, and the sun had not yet risen. I just sat there, watching her sleep. She had the softest looking skin, and the most delicate wrists. It was unusual, that her wrists would be so tiny. She was small, yes, but she was also strong. It was her strength, I think, that drew me to her at first. She always spoke what was on her mind, and sometimes, that wasn't the best move. But somehow, she survived. She pulled it off. I thought I could never be that strong. But I would have to carry a burden. And she would help me.

She lay perfectly posed in sleep. On her back, on top of the covers, the toes of her left foot touching the heel of her right, her left kneebent over the top of her right. Her hips were perfectly centered on the bed, and her head turned to the right. One of her arms rested across her stomach, and the other draped delicately across her face, as though she was fatigued.

I remember my muscles tensing as she silently slid her hand away from her face. Was she waking? But she settled again, as quiet and beautiful as before. Perhaps more so, because now I could see her face properly. Her cheekbones were slightly pronounced, as they had always been, and I had always noticed. The skin that lay over them was not stretched, but smoothed across the bone in a thick layer. Her nose was small and round, rather button-ish as I recall. I knew her eyes were that odd vibrant green color with the strange black pupil that ran in the Al Bhed genes, but I could not see them, because she was, of course, sleeping. And that hair… that beautiful, soft, golden hair. I longed to run my fingers through it, to re-braid those teensy braids I knew so well. But I couldn't.

I drew my gaze away from her for a moment, to look out the window. I was rather shocked to realize that while I had been watching her, the sun had slowly risen over the peaks of the mountains that surrounded the Calm Lands. With a final gaze at my secret desire, I stood and walked quickly to the bathroom under the airship'scabin. Before turning on the light, I closed the door and went to the sink. Hands gripping the sides, I bent my head rather then look at myself in the mirror. Why should I waste my time? She'll never want me, I told myself. I was sure I would never have a chance. Never.


	2. A Light Shining Through

**Authors Note:** Wow, two chapters in one day! But this just was **not** part of chapter one, so… it is chapter two! Yay! This one's Rikku's POV.

**Collide  
**By xDante

Chapter Two: A Light Shining Through

-

She didn't realize, but I was awake.

I don't think she ever realized that I wasn't sleeping, actually. I remember the first time she was there. The day had been a slow one, so I was having trouble sleeping. I heard someone get up, and I rolled over to see who it was. There she was, looking a little surprised. I asked why she was up. She told me she was just thirsty. I believed her. That time.

After that, she was there every morning. It was odd, at first, but… I got over it. After time, I actually started setting myself up before she woke. I would lie back, or hang slightly off the bed, or toss my hair across my face. I would stifle a smile when she laughed softly at my 'sleeping' position, or pretend to be talking in my sleep, muttering inaudibly and groaning. She would always leave just after sunrise. Normally, I went back to sleep. But that morning… I knew something was different.

I didn't go back to sleep. I thought for a long time about going to find her, though I knew where she was. But I didn't. I just lay there until I heard the bathroom door open and her heels tapping on the way out of the cabin. It seemed like ages, but it must have only been a few moments, before the others began to stir. I rose before any of them. For some reason, I didn't want to be around them then.

She wasn't in the bridge when I got there. I thought she must be on the deck. The deck of the Celsius was probably her favorite place. At least it occurred to me to be that way, since she spent so much time up there. I could have gone up, too. But I didn't. Instead, I walked to Brother's control station and kicked the ship into action. I closed my eyes as the familiar vroom and clunk of the engines starting up filled the ship. I was rarely the ship's pilot, because of my ability to oversleep, and it was nice to hear those heavy, almost thunderous sounds.

As the airship settled into its gentle, quiet wurr, the sound it made when it had warmed up and was ready to go, my peace was broken by the even more familiar sound of Paine's tapping heels. I quickly jerked out of my reverie and sat up straight, as if I were already piloting the thing.

"Brother, I—" Pain began to speak, but she stopped when she realized she had mistaken me for my brother. Her mouth closed, and she turned, briskly leaving the bridge for the cabin.

"Pa—Paine! Wait!" I called after her, throwing myself out of the commander's seat and running after her. I saw her, at the end of the hallway, hands grasping heavily on the bars of the elevator, facing away from me. My pace quickened, although I knew it was too late. The door closed before I was halfway down the hall. I would have to wait.

* * *

**  
Authors Note:** And so ends chapter two… I have indeed finished it on Mar. 22, 2006, the same date I finished Chapter One, but it won't be posted until Mar. 23 or 24, 2006. This is because it is late (very late), and I have not yet received chapter one reviews… I think I'll wait until I get at least one before posting this. Anyway, sorry in advance for the wait, thanks for reading, and if you like it, thanks for being a fan! I love you all! Love, Dante; Mar. 22, 2006 

**Authors Note 2:** Thanks for the few people that left reviews on Ch. 1. I'm so glad you liked it! I hope you like this chapter just as much, because this is where the story really starts to kick in. Stay tuned for -ahem- 'love' scenes full of adjectives! Yay. Next Chapter: "Chapter Three: You're Barely Waking", Paine's POV, lots of fluff. I already know how Ch. 3 starts, so I'm sure it'll be up soon. I hope you like the cliff hanger at the end of this one. Bwahaha! Love, Dante; Mar. 23, 2006 (posting date)


	3. You're Barely Waking

**Authors Note:** Yes. ANOTHER chapter. You know you love it. ; Thanks for all your reviews: I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the other two! This one's from Paine's POV. Thanks for reading!

**Collide  
**by xDante

Chapter Three: You're Barely Waking

-

I'm not sure why I ran.

The sun was far above the peak of Mount Gagazet when I felt the ship beneath me shudder. I heard the engines spring to life. I spent one last, short moment on the deck. I knew where I wanted to go that day, and thought I'd tell Brother. But Brother wasn't in the captain's seat. It was her.

I guess I was startled. I had just spent nearly half an hour thinking about her. I had decided to get her off my mind. But there she was. I think I may have overreacted. I turned on the spot and walked back down the hall. I heard her call after me, but I couldn't stop myself. I was a little grateful when the door closed. I needed a moment to regroup my thoughts.

When the lift stopped, I walked hurriedly back into the cabin. I could hear the others waking in the loft, and knew I could possibly use it to my own advantage. I moved swiftly to a bar stool to sit. I could hear the lift gliding back down now.

There was something about the way she looked at me when the door opened that made me fall a little more in love with her. Her eyes showed worry, fear, anxiety. Her bottom lip was fuller then usual, almost pouting, and her mouth open a miniscule amount. One thin arm was pulled tightly across her middle, the hand grasping her side tightly. The other was bent up at the elbow, her finger and thumb gently holding the edge of her bottom lip while her other fingers rested tensely at her chin. I remember thinking; _does she think she's done something wrong? Does she think I am angry with her?_ I was sure that's what the tension in her muscles showed.

"Wh-what's wrong?" She asked shakily, moving a few steps into the cabin. She threw a quick glance at the sleeping crew as though to check if they were watching, and moved closer. "Did I do something?"

I was almost painfully aware of the distance at which she stood from me. She was very close. So close that if I stood up, we could have ended up touching. Not that I had any problems with that what so ever. But it seemed wrong somehow; like one of us wasn't ready. I didn't know then how surprised I would be to find which of us wasn't ready.

"No." I turned away from her then. I didn't think I could look at her beautiful face for one more second without my heart imploding. I hadn't yet thought I had a chance with her, and I didn't plan on getting my hopes up anytime soon.

-

**Authors Note:** Originally, this chapter didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. I gave it a day to soak, and rewrote it from about halfway. It originally involved Yuna and Brother waking up, as well as something called 'scrambled Flan'. Gross. Next chapter will be the best one yet; I'm sure. I **plan **on making one chapter for every line in the song (without repeating chapter titles), Collide, the namesake of this fic… That is…. –counts- about 20-25 chapters. Being me, this might not happen. However, if I keep making the chapters real short like they have been, I _might_ be able to pull it off. But I need you guys to cheer me on! Next Chapter: "Chapter Four: I'm Tangled Up in You" Rikku's POV. Best one yet! Kiss: yes! I won't say if it's double sided or not, though… Bwahaha. Love, Dante; Mar. 23 and 25, 2006


	4. And I'm Tangled Up in You

**Authors Note:** Ah, at last. Another chapter! All the fans will scream with glee. Only they won't. Cause I suck. Anyway. I really have no hope for this chapter. But secretly I do. I hope it turns out okay. But it won't. It'll suck. Which is fine. Anyway. See you at the end of the chapter. This one's Rikku's POV, unfortunately. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **No ownership of characters used. OCs suck.

**Collide  
**by xDante

Chapter Four: And I'm Tangled Up in You

-

In that moment, I was sure.

I stumbled slightly as I crossed the cabin. "Wh-what's wrong?" I asked, anticipating the worst. I heard the others rustling above, and threw a cautious glance sideways to be sure none of them were fully awake yet. Nobody stood at the balcony, so I moved forward. "Did I do something?" My voice was hushed slightly as I spoke. I didn't want a scene. This was obviously a personal matter.

There was silence for a moment, while she stared at me. I had the strange feeling she was forcing herself. Her crimson eyes were glazed slightly and she had a vaguely pained expression on her face. Hmm. Subtle, right?

Finally she spoke. "No," she said. Her voice had a certain finality to it. But being me, I wasn't going to let this go.

"No, really. I know you. I know you're angry. Or… or something," she had turned away from me as I spoke, which I found undeniably irritating. How frustrating!

I swallowed a growl. This was stupid, and she was getting on my nerves. But it wasn't just her that was crumbling my crackers. It was the fact that it took me until the lift door had opened to realize she loved me that really ticked me off. As I thought about it, I remembered there had been so many signs. I felt like such a ditz. I guess I had never really considered it a possibility, but when I saw her with her guard down, I could really _see_ her, and I knew. The surprising thing was… I felt… but no. I told myself I couldn't, and that it was ridiculous.

"No, Rikku… I'm not angry. Or… or anything," she mimicked my hesitation as she turned back to me, eyes like barriers of stone against her soul. That was the expression I was used to.

I blinked slowly, taken aback and indecisive on how to react. "Oh. Um. Okay." I could have kicked myself. What in _Spira_ was I saying? Apparently, I was just going to drop it. After all that work, I seemed to have unwillingly let it slide. Fantastic.

-

**Authors Note: ** Okay, I'll give it props that it was slightly better then I expected. I'll get the next one up sooner, promise. I know it's not all that great stuff I promised. I'm very sorry. But it's not bad, either. And I'm uber sorry to have excluded the kiss. Next time. I do kisses better from Paine-y's point of view. Love you, my spectacular fans! Love, Dante, June 9, 2006


	5. I'm Open, You're Closed

**Authors Note: **Gahzomg so long since the last update. Forgive, forgive! Anyhow. I'm quite pleased with this chapter, although you won't be, because it's not smutty or particularly fluffy. Ah well. I like it and that's all that matters. Okay, that is so untrue. I would sob if you didn't like it. TT Saaaad. Anyway… Here's chapter… um, five, right? Right. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **The three characters mentioned in this chapter are not mine. The words used are. So there.

**Collide  
**by xDante

Chapter Five: I'm Open, You're Closed (or the other way around?)

**-**

Angry? Me? Never.

"No, really. I know you. I know you're angry. Or… or something," Rikku muttered. Stubborn little Rikku. I wasn't looking at her, but I knew exactly the expression on her face: wide eyes, slightly pouting lips, worried brow. I'd seen that look before. It was quite frustrating that she wouldn't let this go. What was I supposed to say? I closed my eyes briefly and regained my composure.

"No, Rikku… I'm not angry. Or… or anything," I replied, feeling much more confident as I turned back to face her. I felt my solidarity and smugness slip back into place. Surprises never rattled me, but this was different.

She blinked in a characteristic way, a little dumbfounded, although it wasn't clear to me why. What was going through that thick blonde head of hers?

What she said next stunned me more then any other event of the morning: "Oh. Um. Okay." This reply was thoroughly un-Rikku-esque and all together quite befuddling. I'm not sure, but I think my jaw may have dropped. Giving up? Rikku? How… bizarre.

"Right. Okay, then." Well then, my response was _sooo_ much better. I turned to the counter. This was—there's no other word for it—awkward. I felt rather flustered, and Rikku sure as hell looked it. She sat down. The silence was disconcerting. It lasted near a minute before a loud groan came from the aerie. "Yuna."

There was a scraping of the stools as we rushed to stand and hustled into the elevator. The one thing that could make the moment more awkward was Yuna. Rikku tapped the "bridge" button several times, as if the door couldn't close soon enough. If that's what she thought, I was right there with her. Finally, with a _swish_, the doors slid together and the lift rose. We let out a sigh of relief in unison, and then, looking at one another, burst into spontaneous laughter. Rikku nearly burst into tears and I had to grab the railing to keep from falling over.

All too soon, the doors opened again, and Rikku, clutching her side and giggling, stumbled out into the room without glancing at me. I remained in the lift, still snickering with amusement. She turned, trying to stifle a grin by pursing her lips, and looked questioningly at me.

"Not getting off?" She asked, swallowing the last of her giggle fit, and smiling innocently.

"Deck," I said, simply, as I too choked down the rest of the laughs. "You know where to find me."

Her smirk faded a little and she glanced at the floor. "You're really… okay, right?" She blinked, and her gaze returned to me. "You'd tell me if you weren't?"

But the doors slid shut before I could answer. _All for the best_, I thought. Obviously, I wasn't okay, and I wouldn't tell her. But if I said that, I'd be pestered to death, and if I didn't, it would be… well… a lie.

I let my lips curl up slightly in a smile as I thought of the mutual jitters we had of being scrutinized by Yuna. The poor child. She hadn't a clue anything was going on. It made me pity her, and feel very, very guilty for excluding her. But not guilty enough to do anything about it. When the time came… if it ever did.

-

**Authors Note: **There. I hope you like it. I can't promise to get the next chapter up sooner, but I can try. And I will. So yeah. Be patient. And I do appreciate your applause (if you want to give them), because if I don't get them, I may not continue. So please R&R if you get the chance, but I'm not begging.  
Love,  
the Daunts (a.k.a. Dante)


End file.
